The Florence Supermax: America's Toughest Prison
2020 ж. 27 Жел.
2 937 982 Рет қаралды
Join the Trends Community today. Get your first 14 days for just ONE dollar. Go to trends.co/geographics to get started.
→ Subscribe for new videos two times per week.
/ @geographicstravel
Our sister channels:
Biographics - / @biographics
TopTenz - / @toptenznettop10
This video is #sponsored by Trends.
Source/Further reading:
www.bop.gov/about/history/her...
www.sfgate.com/default/articl...
www.thoughtco.com/thmb/pSL8b0...
byronchristopher.org/2017/08/...
Join the Trends Community today. Get your first seven days for just ONE dollar. Go to trends.co/geographics to get started.
Simon, can we get a Geographics on Western Sahara? thank you
What they wouldn’t sponsor business blaze 😂
So what's UKs toughest prison? Simon's basement because of poor Danny?
Can't you put the adverts right at the beginning before you start?
@@neathizar9743 to uu
I like the fact that the cells are "specifically designed to prevent prisoners from escaping" - that is an interesting approach in prison building.
Funny shit. Thanks for the laugh.
And sofas are specifically designed for sitting on. What's new ?
Yeah, imagine that! ;)
I’m cracking up right now 😂😂😂
Escape: If I had a rock hammer and some time, I'd make it happen.
I was a lock design engineer that designed the locks used on the Florence facility. I was invited to tour the facility during and shortly after the construction was completed. In my career I've visited about 25 top prisons in the United States. Florence was without a doubt the most secure. It's the Rocky Mountain Alcatraz. However the scariest prison was Pelican Bay. To become a inmate at Pelican Bay you had to kill or disable a police officer or a prison guard. During my last visit to Pelican Bay I was trapped inside while a prison riot raged out of control. I had no idea who was going to be the next person to come through the door of the windowless secured room I was locked into. I've never gone to another prison since. And the smell of Pinesol soap gives me flashbacks of the 12 hours spend locked down in Pelican Bay while the clackston alarms howled and it's been almost 20 years. In my opinion suicide would be preferable to spending the rest of my life in one of these prisons.
So much 🧢 in this but whatever
@@MrDerpyBanana Yep, "you don't get it Bro", but whatever.
@@MrDerpyBanana who the fuck would “🧢” about designing a damn prison lock, plenty of other things to come up with to seem “cooler” than this I could believe it just off the pinesol reference knowing that they use the cheapest shit to make the cells smell better than the blood and piss and feces inmates end up smearing everywhere
@@lowk3ychris484 well this guy would evidently
Thanks for your opinion 👍
"They're purposefully designed to prevent prisoners from escaping." What the hell are other prisons designed to do?
Free tamed inmates to be worked... Self contained aka institutionalized prisoners...a lot of criminals have no life so living for free is a goal for some inmates...
Other prisons: *My goals are beyond your understanding*
I knew a guy in jail that didn’t even need to be there went to work everyday then came back to the jail at night….
@@civilizedgangster4134 Thats literally how a normal, free person lives life
@@hanzgotzepanzerfaust6081 they don't understand the process...they love a explanation🤔....keep ya head from tha sand box🗣....
What in the world do people want us to do with these people. They complain if they are executed, and now complain if they are isolated. These are the worst of the worst who have shown no sign of rehabilitation. At some point, a person's actions have consequences.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't unfortunately.
And then complain if they get out and kill more
There's a damn fine line between locking people up and brutally exposing them to sadistic torture. Usually, normal people can see the difference. and no, not every person in ADX is the unibomber or El Chapo. There are also individuals that assaulted guards in regular security prison being put here
@@johan13135 This is true. And even if you kept people in single cells, there are ways to allow communication with others. That would stop the terrible mental health issues that come from solitary confinement. The thing is that many inmates housed in Florence aren't murderers so they end up back in society. Rage-filled and unused to dealing in society...
Put and end to the gangs that put them there.
Richard Reid is the reason we all need to take our shoes off at airport security. He truly deserves all of this 😐
LLololol yo this is so true. Fuck that guy.
Yes he does!! I hope they do all they can to keep him alive as long as possible in his cell. I personally want to volunteer to administer blood transfusions to keep him alive!!
@@thirdeyek5155 I couldn’t agree more with you my friend.
I was wearing sandals it did not even other asking yay bahamas vacation
You nailed it!!!! PERFECTLY!!!! Bravo 🙌 Bravo 👏 Bravo 🎉.
I feel bad for the uni-bomber. They took him from his isolated shack in the mountains and put him in an isolated shack in the mountains, but with free living expenses.
best sarcasm ever. lol
I lost my virginity to a chick who later became pen-pals with both he and charles manson. Manson told her to stop writing him lol.
una
Yes you are 😂...
Yeah but he has to live in Colorado. I feel bad for Ted because it was his own brother that ratted him out
You forgot to mention the most interesting former inmate of all at ADX Florence -- Charles Harrelson, Woody Harrelson's father. Dude was a genuine hitman.
Adx is where all the hardcore people are
Wow never knew that.Great info!!!❤ That explains woody being so good as a killer in was it ? Natural born killers( with the girlfriend)
No wonder Woody is somewhat insane.
So that's why he's got those crazy eyes🤔
An "allegedly" involved in the killing of a president in the 1960s.
I drive past this place to go camping. It's unbelievably beautiful out there, super peaceful. And then there's all these people in there. It's a weird feeling passing it.
That feeling is the humble appreciation of the freedom you have...that situation is fairly rich in irony lol
The Florence supermax sounds like a supermarket name.
As a Coloradan, no it doesn't.
It also sounds like a brand of sanitary pads and tampons. “Can you get me some Florence supermax when you’re at the shop please?”
For me it sounds a band, maybe cause florence and the machine
Yeah, the kind of supermarket where you get stabbed 50 times over a pouch of tuna or a packet of ramen ...
@@davidemelia6296 so basically any supermarket at the early days of covid? 🤷♂️
I live a couple hours away, that's about the only employer in the area. It's a really pretty area of Colorado
I used to live in Colorado Springs then moved to Arizona. There's a Florence, AZ as well along with a prison in town.
u can work anywhere now
The Royal Gorge near bye is amazing. The bridge is sketchy though!!
When I saw the title I was really hoping that it wouldn't be in Colorado. To bad ig.
My dad and I actually visited the area a few years ago. Within a stone's throw of the prison is an old cemetery (unrelated to the prison) where my great-great-great grandparents are buried. We went on a genealogy trip to do on-site research and take photos. Loved the scenery, especially around the nearby town of Cripple Creek. I'd like to go back. It's too bad my third-great grandparents' final resting view is that of a supermax prison.
A sink, toilet and a bunk, and a shower? That's mighty fine living conditions for Solitary.
Its a forever solitary not some 2 weeks in da hole stuff ofcourse they had to have those in with the prisoners
I love the combo of research and personality to make your shows engaging thanks!
My uncle worked at a block there for several years. After he left he had a lot of anger issues. I can't say it's healthy for the inmates or the guards
Why do you think it's harmful to the guards?
@@TundralTV Beacuse only the people who want authority but weren't qualified for police duty become gaurds. So you got power tripping D bags mixed with folks that literally don't give a crap about what comes next mixing together.
You are 100% right. They aren't safe for anybody's mental health. Bring back the firing squad. Problem solved.
@@Digitalhunny Preach it!!
@@TundralTV - Have you ever stepped foot inside of a federal pen? As a worker or visitor perhaps? The guards can not trust a single person in there! You develope a thick skin & serious aggression because you are always on guard for your life & the lives of your co-workers. The constance stress over decades, is not healthy. Do you believe prisons are safe boring places to work at or something? Training does not prepare you for the constant anxiety that comes with working in that type of environment! At least cops have breaks & down time. Guards on a lunch break that let the guard down, can and do die! Movies are bullshit compared to real life. The prisoners that you are kind to usually with take that you are weak & attempt to kill you for it. Plus, other prisoners you know shouldn't be there & you watch helplessly as they are beaten up by a gang & you're helpless to help them. Why? You're under staffed that day or somebody just failed to show up for their under paid shift that week. The entire ad system is a cluster fcking mess!!
I'd rather have a private room where I can sleep at night then get my throat cut by a psychopathic inmate.
Good point 😂 but u loose ur mind in the day with out seeing any one
That’s better than getting killed.
Getting kill is better then losing your mind, going crazy and not knowing who you are anymore
I like my current living situation way better than having those Pproblems
😷🙌
It sounds like they have actually managed to make a prison that is worse than the death penalty. It's honestly hard to pity anyone there, because you do not end up there by accident. And a prison first and foremost role is to protect society from monsters and the prison definitely success in this regard.
Alot of people end up up in prison by accident.
He was more specifically talking about this prison lmao
im agreement that people can end up there by accident, but this prison is on of the few that you have to work to get to
I know it's what you've heard before, but saying being at the ADX is worse than the death penalty is just stupid. There are so many dudes at the ADX who prefer being there to any other facility for a variety of reasons. Most are grossly anti-social; don't want a cell-mate, don't have to worry about prison politics; get your own B&W TV; etc. Any idiot, including a former Warden, who say it's worse than death is just pure hyperbole.
I enjoy your channel. I clicked on this because I've seen several of your other features and they're always worthwhile...
I live just to the north east. Crazy to know every time I drive by that El Chapo is there.
All part of 4 mile Prison complex. Ugh
Ha! And the best lawyers money can buy. Should be fun.
@@burningchrome70 its a federal prison surrounded by several state prisons. Lawyers for those inside lost their cases already. Its on 4 mile road and the only thing on that road is prisons.
@robin Braznell - He's OC, the organized crime guys have different rules. They can earn privileges INSIDE the prison but their contact with the outside world will always be limited.
@@dongately2817 exactly
"And now a word from our sponsor..." TAPTAPTAPTAP
I did exactly that 😆 😂
You know 75% of KZhead watchers don’t even know about that function
LOL!!!
@@MoreMotionPod when i found out about it i was like 🤯💡 It actually works on a decent amount of other websites as well
@@mcslave3 What other websites?
You forgot to mention Saul Goodman
Florence ADX is still 100x safer than Cook County Jail in Chicago.
Ya because you don’t leave your cell lol
I will not deny that all other prisons are clear users/abusers of slavery. However, ADX is the 1 facility that has the strongest safety record for both guards & inmates. It also has the highest % of non-minorities. However! You sir have proudly posted vids bullying your partner in high speed training runs occurring so very late at night. Any comments? Any clarification as to why you claim only 3 have been executed while more than that have been executed in my state alone? Waiting.
@@alwaysflushinpublic not sure why you replied that under my comment...
That prison is a very frightening place indeed. However, it pales in comparison to how terrifying the individuals that they put there are.
Does it tho
And both pale in comparison to someone being wrongfully subjected to that prison. Whether directly (Thomas Silverstein possibly) or indirectly (John Kaczynski) For those unaware, Silverstein always maintained his innocence, citing the inhumane and nearly unliveable conditions he lived in that made his crimes neccesary for his own survival. Kaczynski was the subject of several MK ULTRA experiments. Enough of the experiments subjects went on to have the entire rest of their lives famously defined by those experiments that you can't blame them entirely.
Exactly. And that's why the government is going to all the trouble and expense to make sure they don't get out again. I'm frankly glad the ADX Supermax exists.
@@itwasaliens the people that cheer for brutality are more frightening to me.
Aside from snowflakes who think everyone is good at heart, SJWs who have no conception that people can just be evil, rotten, no matter how well they’re raised, blah blah blah agree. 💯. Good god. When they really meet one, they’ll change their minds.
This is arguably the best video I’ve seen on ADX Florence. Its difficult to find anything except extremely basic information about the prison. They keep that shit on lockdown - pun intended.
Yeah I searched for the last 5 or so years for a long documentary on ADX and none still exist.
Most of the info he has is actually from Wiki etc. Easy to find. But he does have a few things wrong. Very few of the guys in the concrete cells are actually in isolation. Most have small jobs. Nick Scarfo for instance, was working in the prison furniture upholstery for 12 hours per month. Very few are in actual solitary confinement with zero contact. They are also allowed to write letters, and some are even allowed to receive letters.
@@AB-80X he planes isolation as in whether you work or not you are stuck in your sale with one hours exercise you don’t go away for recreation you don’t go out to play pool et cetera
I would recommend some of Larry Lawton's videos. He gives a much better "first-hand experience" of prison life. He might not have served time in Florence, but he is very familiar with lockdowns and solitary confinement.
Check out Sammy “The Bull” Gravanos YT channel, he was at ADX Supermax and did a video talking about the conditions and how it impacted him.
Sammy The Bull, Gas Pipe, and Greg Scarpa hung out there. They loved it. It's built underground and all of the cells are on one side of the hallway and widely spaced preventing any contact with anyone other than staff. He said the silence is deafening. Can't hear your neighbor banging on the cell door or any yelling/screaming that goes on at all other prisons around the clock.
I'm more concerned about the Cruel and Unusual Punishment the victims experienced, than the prisoners at all.
They have better living conditions than the homeless in the States
Good, these are the scummiest of all scum, who perpetrated horor and fear on other people. They don't deserve human rights
So forget the Constitution
The constitution does not define cruel and unusual punishment. I would think people would be happy to know that we are no longer executing prisoners on a federal level. However, I keep seeing them move the goal post, doing more and more to accommodate the feelings of prisoners. I believe if you knowingly take someone’s life and commit other violent acts, you forfeit your right to be comfortable and happy. After all, the victims you killed as well as their families are not comfortable or happy anymore. Why should the prisoner be?
@@rhyami take extreme vengeance! Like savages.
Sadly this is where Edward Snowden would be sent if he ever came back to the US. I don't think letting the public know the government is spying on them should be considered espionage.
It is illegal to tell the truth when ruled by liars.
He exposed practices to enemy governments that they are now using against the US today and causing untold amounts of damage. You are right thou, he should not be sent to a supermax facility, he should be executed immediately.
@@G-Fi-High the sheep says bahhh
@@G-Fi-High if it means removing our rights to stay safe then I have to ask two things. First, are you really safe? Second, is life worth living under the boot of someone even if they are "American"?
Obama’s policies against whistleblowers is one of his worst domestic policy decisions
The Unabomber and the others there didn't care much (if any) for the rights of their victims. I couldn't care less about their living conditions.
The prisoners earned the right to live there. They only havet
They only have themselves for being there.
And it's still a Hilton compared to many prisons around the world.
The Unibomber had the right idea. Had he targeted just government buildings and not civilians I'd not mind.
You can't fight cruelty with cruelty. The entire point of capturing and imprisoning offenders is to prove that we as a society are more morally upstanding than the criminal. Treating them inhumanely is proving we are no better.
Better Call Saul
It’s actually a lot lot easier NOT to end up there than it is to end up there. I’ve found that to be the case anyway.
😄😁
@NoTheyWil Forget lol 😄😁
For some people maybe it is
@Censorships our issue I no it's sad really here in Europe that would never happen because of human rites but america is America they can do what they like
Just got to avoid doing something STUPID and high profile............. Pretty easy
Having a tough time finding sympathy for any of the criminals listed in the video.
Imagine getting life without parole for espionage ☹️ I get why but that’s savage
The shoe bomber I kind of feel bad for he had serious mental health issues
@Jack execute ted...
if almost any inmate anywhere in the US is looking for sympathy, they can find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis!
@@origionalwinja maybe if you are referring to the real shit heads but most people are in for relatively dumb bullshit or minor drug charges and get in deep due to the ridiculous climate and desperation to survive
Poor Saul
As a scenery builder in the SF Bay area, I've built on Alcatraz many times. In the early 90's before the National Park Service got SUPER strict with film crews, it wasn't too horrible of a crime to sneak down into the basements and the old solitary cells... Wow. Nowadays, a ranger can shut down the whole production if a crewmember is caught in restricted areas.
In "The Rock" the crews went everywhere though?!
Not long ago Sammy the Bull talked about being in the Supermax and, long story short: imagine regulations so tight, you had a guard watching you as you defecate.
I remember when I was in medium security. The bathroom stalls had no doors, everybody could see you crap. At least it’s only a guard or 2 watching the camera that could watch you.
@@majixism i would hold in my shit till i turn purple🙁I aint shitting in front another man or a camera
@@icanseeyourfuture8674 Everyone tries. That lasts a day or 2 tops. If you’re suspected of hooping drugs. They’ll “dry cell” you. Now you have a guard watching you 24/7 from the door. The second your done taking a shit they rush in and go through it looking for drugs. Strip searched are way more demeaning. Standing naked in front of a bunch of guards. Men and women(and never the hot women you’d hope for), and the final nail in coffin is at the end you either have to squat or bend over and show em your ass. Depending on jail your in.
Almost every time u shit in jail ur exposed to someone usually multiple people able to see u
In my much younger days, I worked at our local Juvenile Hall on 3 different tours. Believe me when I say it's no big deal, for the staff or the individual, after the first few days. There's little to no privacy when you are locked down & everyone gets used to it very quickly.
It is quite difficult to have any sympathy for the inmates in Florence. They clearly paved their own path to the facility.
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time!
No sympathy for the devil!
Why should we care about them - the dreges of humanity.
@Thor Odinson that's quite a stretch
The Oklahoma bomber and el chapo stay there, I feel safe knowing they there.
Speaking as someone who has done time in BOP (Bureau of Prisons or the US Federal Prison System) its pretty hard to get sent to ADX ... you have to be super high profile, a terrorist, or a KNOWN leader of a big time gang .... in the couple years I did in the feds, I've never met a single person who's been there .... thats just my experience, idk
Yeah the list of former and current high profile inmates at ADX is mind blowing.
I have always gone with the logic that you don't rehabilitate rabid dogs you put them down.
My little brother did 13yrs there before being transferred to el Reno Oklahoma thank God he is out and trying to change his life
Nothing like your own freedom .so glad hes of of hell .much respect .praying for all of my brothers and sisters behind that wall fighting to come home even the ones with no date
Jesus... If you don’t mind my asking, what was he convicted of?
@@KINGJADEX possession of 2 firearms and counterfeit money Pryor to that he already had done state time
He must of belong to an organization. My guess had to be Mexican Mafia or Nuestra Familia. Seeing that your name is in Spanish
God Bless you you&your brother..very hard thing to go through..prayers he does well..my son also!
I've been in every IL prison outside Cook County as a copier repairman. I got to go inside the Florence Supermax as a delivery driver. It was a ghost town inside and a little eerie.
My brother and my sister inlaw worked here. The most evil were incarcerated here. My brother was a guard. He got to see Eric Robert Rudolph, the Unabomber and other assorted killers and terrorists day in day out. This Supermax never gave these prisoners what they truly deserved. People just don't realize the incredible evil of these prisoners.
I know them. They are actually really decent human beings. They always treated me with the respect I gave them.
yeah they are all great folks@@Time.Tracker
I didn't know Robert Hanssen was there, for some reason I thought he was at Leavenworth. Maybe an idea for casual criminalist or one of your project channels could be covering how the FBI caught/captured/tracked/consulted with some of those bombers? I mention this because one thing that caught my attention in researching the Unabomber (wow, that manifesto... it's a - something...) is how many times his name came up with other causes (the Oklahoma City bomber caught me by surprise but the Atlanta bomber made sense), but I could never sit down long enough to see just how far that rabbit hole goes.
Thanks for the video, Simon. In my early 20s I was caught in California with a Fully Automatic AK-47 and had to spend a few years in a Maximum Security Federal Penitentiary (United States Penitentiary: Beaumont, TX). It was not a supermax, we were out of the cell most of the day, being maximum security, violence was EXTREMELY prevalent. I had to go to the SHU (Security Housing Unit) once or twice for a fight and for getting caught with drugs. It's miserable back there in the SHU. The conditions are very similar to ADX Florence. It will break you, and you'd never think you'd be excited to go back to... prison, until you visit the SHU. I abide by the law now-a-days.
@Mac Mike I was speaking figuratively as opposed to literally, sorry if that went over your head. If you want me to be specific, I was actually sent to the hole 3 times 1 for a cell fight we got caught for, once for jumping a snitch off the yard and the third for getting caught with drugs.
@Mac Mike oh... and when I just earlier said "sorry if that went over your head", I didn't mean that something actually physically went over your head, that was also a figure of speech. I don't want to confuse you anymore. 😉
I think it’s fucked up you went to prison despite “shall not be infringed” being included in our founding document. Nothing we can do now about it, but I’m sorry that happened to you.
@@Mr_Bones. I very much appreciate that. It was unfortunate. The good thing is now people in my position who had virtually no criminal record like me (I wasn't a felon) won't have to go to federal prison for certain first time. It was not helpful I was not rehabilitated. I was put I'm a violent place and had to fend amongst the wolves. I'm glad I made it out in one piece and didn't take any Ls in there.
@@Mr_Bones. though the founding documents lay the blueprint to our laws it is the Supreme Courts job to apply 18th century's phrases and circumstances to today's problems. When bearing arms meant having a musket or 1-shot handgun can not possibly be extended to every means of weapon invented since. So though your right to bear arms is incredible important. Limiting arms that are allowed is also important. Do we all have the right to bear nuclear weapons? What if nuclear weapons are needed to overthrow the government? No obviously no one should be allowed to have nukes. Now don't get me wrong I think some states overstep this distinction. But the idea that automatic weapons should be legal is NOT what the founding fathers meant by bear arms in a militia. If you can't protect yourself, your home, or be able to protect your country (as a militia) with a semi automatic AR or AK and see the need to keep a fully auto weapon instead... maybe you aren't qualified to be part of the defense of your community. If you think the militia today is for the purpose of standing up to the US Government's military branches.. Well good luck with that... automatic weapons or not. You may also forget that James Madison proposed this amendment so that IF the US government became a tyranny the people could stand up like they did during the revolutionary war. We've had 245 years as a democracy since then and though you may not agree with every elected leader... that's not the point. The point is the democracy stands and will stand for centuries to come. Standing up to tyranny isn't standing up to the elected government you disagree with. Our democracy would have to be shattered for James Madison's concern for keeping a civilian militia to be realized. It made sense for him to be worried in 1791.. only 15 young years as a nation. He wanted this fledgling America to be able to stand up for itself. Well it's not 1791 anymore... America is very strong and very solid as a democracy. Also at the time there wasn't an organized army, navy, air force. If somehow the US democracy was overthrown I better believe my brothers and sisters in the armed forces wouldn't just be a puppet. That's millions of people with training and the access to arms that supersede your need for a militia. Anyways. Just reading an amendment and taking it literally isn't how it works. We wouldn't need a Supreme Court if we all could just read the law without any historical context.
I never thought I'd hear Simon say "Let's get back to prison".
With a smile, no less!
The last person who said that ended up getting his ghost shot out and killed by a edgi-boi-wait this isn't the Destiny Universe...
It's where he belongs after all the things he's subjected Danny to.
As a fellow Business Blaze viewer, I don't know if I should sympathize with Danny or not.
I'm sure he said that a dozen times on business blaze
I used to work for the BOP . From 2020 to 12/2021 they executed 13 inmates (16 total since the death penalty was reinstated federally). It’s actually increasing in number. There are currently 44 federal inmates sitting on death row and Congress passed a law to speed up the process
I was on the protocol team for several years and interviewed numerous inmates on death row during Institution Character Profiles. Although executed, you wouldn't believe how intelligent and articulate some of them, like Dustin Honken, are/were. Roane (Roane, Tipton, and Johnson) was very polite, personable, and articulate, but the three of them were absolute monsters to their victims related to drug dealing.
And Jimmy McGill is here too!
I had to go to Denver jail (as a city employee, not a prisoner). There is a board that shows long prison sentences, there a couple over 1,000 years.
They are due to be released sometime around Super Bowl MLI give or take a couple.
I've never understood the point of that. Literally anyone with a sentence of over 100 years all have the same sentence, might as well just sentence them to 'natural life' like other countries, just until they die basically
@@AVTAVT It's probably all legalese designed to prevent some slick lawyer type from ever getting a horrible criminal off the hook and back out on the streets.
@chickey333 there’s also the parole issue. Someone with a 100 year sentence could, depending upon the jurisdiction, have a chance to eventually get released Then there’s the maximum sentence for particular crimes, most of which don’t allow for life sentences on their own, but a fixed number of years. Then, to ensure a life sentence, it would require consecutive sentencing. That’s where you get the millennium long sentences from
@@nicholasselke5214 Thanks! I'm not a lawyer myself. I don't even play one on TV. I do know there are states that have mandatory life sentences without parole for certain real nasty crimes.
I'd rather get the death penalty than have to live in this place. Can't imagine spending the rest of my days in ADX Flo.
Ya could spend 40+ years there and then get the death anyhow lmao
If I'm going down hard, im going down and taking anybody I can with me. More than a 1 year and its all or nothing.
@@alastor8091 more than a year? Haha wow you are weak...
@@itwasaliens I said I'd go down like Leonidas against the feds, how is surrendering like a coward and letting the enemy have their way with you stronger than taking them on to your last?
@@alastor8091 your thinking is very illogical then. Lose (or surrender from your pov) a year to the feds and keep your remaining years/decades to continue whatever your fight is or.... Lose (or surrender from my pov) years/decades of your life over the threat of losing one year. 1 lost year isn't enough to surrender your fight entirely. You only do that if you're guaranteed to lose it all either way. Leonidas wouldn't surrender his life over a single lost year. That's not what he was looking at either way. Leonidas was looking at losing EVERYTHING for good if he were to surrender. "For you, inhabitants of wide-wayed Sparta, Either your great and glorious city must be wasted by Persian men, Or if not that, then the bound of Lacedaemon must mourn a dead king, from Heracles' line."
I used to work at the adx Florence and yes they do have a dining hall that seats about 25 people. I worked in the kitchen and very few of the photos you showed were of the actual prison..
I've been there. (Not a resident) I couldn't continue with the work. It is a sad business and while they deserve it, I personally couldn't stand being that deep in the ground. This thing goes deeper than any other prison in the world.
I don’t understand…the majority of the prison is above ground. Wasn’t it reported that there was a subterranean corridor only? How did you spend so much time underground? I’m truly curious.
Pure hog wash. Zero percent of the facility is underground with the exception of the corridor leading from the control center. The whole facility is viewable on google earth. Every cell, recreation area, etc., is above ground. Please stop believing some of the crap online.
Pelican Bay: am I a theme Park to you?
guantanamo bay looking from the back 👀👀
*laughs in Black Dolphin*🤣
@@rogueviking9268 not American
Hmm *clears throat* on us soil
@@Joshtheboss705Have you ever seen the menu for detainees at gitmo? Way better than what they feed regular prisoners or military or public school children.
This is so wild. I was just talking about the supermax with my family at Christmas dinner and thought to myself "I need to suggest that to Simon." And days later without a word from me here it is. You absolute madman.
@Lord Brain That sounds kind of incestuous.
Well that certainly a conversation topic to bring up during Christmas dinner. XD
Don't y'all know simon has inserted a mind reading chip n2 all of our brains? Even our tin foil hats are penetrable to it!🤣🤣🤣
Better Free Saul
I would just like to add that at the beginning where he said “clean version of hell” that is actually a quote from an ex warden of the facility
I can assure you, that warden was an idiot who liked to make the place sound a lot worse than it was. Media doesn't seek him out. He seeks them out.
It's interesting that "Human Rights Watch" doesn't give a damn about the human rights of dead, innocent victims of crime.
because it’s an organisation to hold the state accountable bruh
@@user-dq4yr4wl8x It is an organization to give its employees a phoney balony pay check!
Yeah seriously. I think some people want to see good in people, but you cant be that niave. People need to just realize psychopaths exist. Psychopaths are wired differently, they are born that way, and there isn't anything anyone can do to help them. Not all criminals are psychopaths but the ones that are, are extremely dangerous people. The only way to protect people from psychopathic criminals is to keep them in places like this.
Their dead, they don't care what happens what happens. Besides, so called victims have entirely too many "rights" in this country.
@@robotman8444 Yes psychopaths do exist! They’re your teachers, your cops, your military, your mailman, they’re your neighbors and politicians too.
When Marion was still a supermax prison, I had a friend (federal officer) who had to interview a prisoner at Marion on an annual basis. There was a sign posted outside this prisoner's cell that stated "Do not open unless there are 4 corrections officers present." This prisoner was considered to be most dangerous prisoner at Marion at the time.
Was that Shel? If ever a maniac needs to be put down, he's #1!
@@joanbowden3448 Who?
@@JS67137 Member of the Aryan Brotherhood who stabbed a correctional officer to death. He and another guy who killed another inmate are the reasons why ADX Florence exist.
@@JS67137 thomas silverstein
@@raddivant8840 ironically, smoking a pig was probably the least reprehensible thing Silverstein did in prison
I live just up the road from the supermax, its pretty weird driving by there some times because its pretty close to town and everything lol
I find it interesting the same builders of prisons also build schools not by happenstance. Both largest buildings in a community. Now think about why the government vets teachers so well down the fact that most are NOT in their profession for $. Furthermore the low supply of teachers may be due to different reasons than other professions of low supply such as high paying jobs. It’s all orchestrated a way some people just don’t comprehend. The pandemic naturally got rid of the few shit teachers due to the fact of more parents being allowed to watch what happens using technology due to the stay at home orders and at home learning
I don’t understand why there hasn’t been anyone to file a CLASS ACTION lawsuit against the US Government on behalf of all prisoners being detained in the US for the countless humanitarian infractions and crimes committed under their supervision. They should require every penal institution to provide a sane, safe and humane environment for ALL prisoners to complete your sentences. If they can’t do that, they have no business being in the “prison business”. The state of prisons in America is an absolute travesty. The fact that it’s a multi-billion dollar profitable business is absolutely criminal.
How about a Geographics about your basement with live interviews with Danny and Sam?
How has no one said this before? An absolute must, I may post this comment on every video until he does it.
@@ATReade stealing comments aint cool
dan's down.
This guy was born to narrate
Some say he is the love child of Morgan Freeman....
@@Gigipretty64 Love child of Morgan Freeman and who ?
Allegedly
@@rastas_4221 maybe rabbit ......... Maybe .....
No. Too wordy and choppy. Mispronounces too many words.
your long plug for the sponsor just killed it
One thing that doesn’t happen to prisoners there: being stabbed, beaten, extorted and boinked in the ass.
Yeah... nobody ever seems to cry about the psychological effect of THAT!
Yeah, but the people that get into these high security prisons are the ones who stab or beat other inmates. Not the other way around.
This would be a 4 star hotel compared to Black Dolphin in Russia.
Yes it certainly would! Saw a doc on the Black Dolphin....omg! Just kill me!
Just checked Black Dolphin out Both prisons are almost equally terrible, but ADX is slightly worse because an interaction with another human is close to none It's much easier to lose your mind in ADX than Black Dolphin
These BOTH prisons is 6star hotels compared to Madagascar Prison .Most prisoners prefer death than being there.Imagine eating one thing(a root) for the rest of your life😬Check out Madagascar,then come back
@@juniorfletcher8256 now you've piqued my interest. Will do!
@@CuriouslyWatching Not even close. They make Russian inmates get up at 4am in the dead of Winter to do exercises outside. The prisons are in Siberia with average Winter temperatures between 40 & 60 below zero. Also they are forced to stand for 16 hours a day.
Thank you for any Colorado content! Though we house the worst of the worst it’s ironic bc it’s surrounded by gorgeous mountains. They get a beautiful view flying in & then they see grey walls for the rest of their lives.
Hey Erin , you were great on Bewitched.
Not everyone there has a life sentence
@@CmonstoleCmonstole nice reference!! Unfortunately I’m about 15 years too young to have been Tabatha’s kid, but cool none the less.
Thought they were blindfolded? I was told that by someone who would have had knowledge
I'm a huge fan of all of your channels. I would love to see you do a biographics video on one of the inmates currently incarcerated in Florence ADX. His name is Larry Hoover
I hear yu my pop Ben in there with him since It opened just like Mr. Hoover, my father was unjustly put in there because they fear blk men who can think
@@baltimorebikelife7134 Yeah, right. Larry Hoover was placed there, just like many other national gang leaders, because of the resources available to them, their past criminal history, their influence on other gang members, etc. Don't flatter yourself when you say it's because anyone is afraid of a Black man.
Free Saul Goodman
I spent a short time inside this prison, I didn't like it at all. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I followed the rules, kept to myself and stayed out of trouble. I was very relieved when I left out the front gate. PS. I forget to mention, I'm a truck driver and I was delivering a load of frozen food so those pieces of shit could eat.........Gotcha.
😂😂😂
Since when does anyone deliver anything inside a prison? Deliveries all go to the outside depot and from there are taken inside facilities by Bureau staff. Let's just say you were close to the prisons on the complex.
My first thought was "is that British Vsauce?"
The great Alcatraz of the Rockies! The people who go there aren’t visiting Colorado to see the beautiful natural scenery of Colorado!
As an act of compassion, it could be recommended that the inmates read Papillon, which may positively influence their perception of the prison surroundings and perhaps bring them some happiness.
I remember when this channel was created was in the first 100 people my how it's grown so glad people have been so stopping by and learning with us. Congrats on the 500k+ mark way to spread the knowledge.
"cell specifically designed to prevent inmates from escaping" is there a different type of prison cell?
Ask El Chapo!
@@nickie7874 Beat me to it 🤣😂🤣😂👍
Japan had a prisoner no matter what type of cell they put him in he would escape. That was even keeping in him hand cuffed and legs handcuffed. Making him crawl to eat like a dog. And he still escaped when going in his cell they simple couldn't figure out how he managed it.
@@anthonydesroches8897 Without knowing anything further, what you describe sounds to me like the simple answer is "powerful friends on the outside."
Cells you can escape from
Always interesting and informative 👍 team
FREE SAUL
Holy crap! I had no ideas all those monsters were in the same place.
Yeah dude, it's wild. High level cartel bosses, gang leaders, domestic & foreign terrorists, spies, high escape risks and stone cold killers. The list of high profile guys who have been through here is insane.
When people say that there are some fates worse than death, they're talking about ADX Florence...
I think the death penalty is warranted in some cases. It’s sad that it has to come to that but in my opinion it does. Mass murderers going more insane for decades at a huge cost to taxpayers is stupid and cruel to the prisoners who are beyond remorse or rehabilitation. Firing squad. It’s cheap and it’s over faster than a bunch of chemicals that paralyze someone’s breathing and heart. That isn’t humane to the condemned, it’s humane for us as society, who tell ourselves that they just fell asleep. Bs.
@@keithgunn-glanville7829 I'm generally against the death penalty But I agree; some crimes actually do warrant the death penalty.
Fair point but are you willing to pull the trigger
@@print-master Yes.
I retired from LE after 35 years the last 27 working in a Level 4 institution in California, I have literally seen inmates capable of doing ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING, I've dealt with high profile inmates such as Manson (creepy dude) Menendez Bros (totally spoiled assholes) etc....to those who think this prison is hell and cruel then you need to consider what they put their victim through! Yes death is warranted in ALOT of circumstances but for some reason its not applied😡
They forgot to mention Inmate Saul Goodman
Exactly why I clicked on this video 🤣
5/2023: Excellent and educational. I definitely agree with it's purpose. Thank You
I've driven past this place multiple times heading to climb at Shelf Road. Its also close to Bishop Castle, which is a pretty cool and interesting elaborate building up in the mountains that was created by one man working by hand.
I hate shelf road.. lol Still, one of the quickest ways to Cripple Creek.
@@Robdizzle2010 dude is that for real? what Kentucky candy land milton bradley sht are you playing? 😁
Bishop Castle is legit crazy.
The prison is about an hour from Bishop Castle.
You’ve put out some bangers in the last week Simon & Co!
You know what's not humane? Killing another human. Those inmates can stay in solitary forever.
What a negative, disheartening thing to say… you’d rather carry on the negativity & harm instead of stopping the cycle. What a disappointing thing to see…
@@macysondheimi have ZERO sympathy for most criminals
Shocked they don't have 10 story Sub basement levels. Leave a floor empty as a buffer to the surface.
If you end up in adx-florence you deserve what you get.
Not always. An acquaintance of mine was at Florence for the last 2 years of his sentence. He was actually innocent of his charges and had never been in prison before or since. His wife had inherited a lot of money and wanted to get a divorce without losing any of it. It is a pretty convoluted set of circumstances, but she set him up and he did the time. If you knew his ex-wife you would get it really quickly. While he isn't particularly a favorite person of mine, he didn't deserve what he got. He spent 1 year in Greenville and was transferred to Florence to punish family of his that complained to the DOJ about inappropriate treatment at Greenville. The good news is that his ex ran through all of her money and is not doing well, karma at work.. He is in bad shape physically since getting out of prison. He has never talked to me or his friends about what happened to him there, but he has trouble getting around and has had to have multiple surgeries since getting out. Everyone who knows him know what she did and how she got by with it.
@@MiracleFound they always say “innocent”
@@doritos6893 ⬅️ The expert has spoken. Lol
@@peace__777 ⬅️ he’s uncircumcised
P. Pete didn’t do no bombing or killed guards had less than 10 kills an got sent here with guys that killed 60x times more... seems alittle off if you ask me , not even Hoover was sent here
The person who called it a clean version of hell was Sammy the Bull Gravano, a man who killed 19 people during his time with the Gambino crime family. These are not people who got lost on their way to Bible study.
Personally I LOVE the idea of supermax prisons.
I love how you expanded into multiple channels ( I just started following) to increase your revenue and subs.. Smart af haha much love
It's all a part of his plan to world domination! 🤣🤣🤣 Earth will be known as the Simon planet. All money shall be Simon dollars with his big bald head all over it! All cities will be renamed Simonville, Simontown, Simonton, Simon City, etc. but it must have the name Simon in or it will be burnt to the ground! Oh, almost forgot the most important law--all adults must partake of cocaine!!🤣🤣🤣
I live in Fremont County CO, there are 14 prisons in the county. Also, when the moved El Chapo there it was super sketchy for a while.
Are escapes common?
I grew up in canon before joining the army. I wasn’t there for the el chapo move but my family told me there was security going around for days.
@@tonetone8980 hell no.
What do you mean "super sketchy for a while"? Did they sneak him in? Did they close down streets? I am surprised someone that rich hasn't paid off all the staff yet to just let him walk out of the prison.
@@MrHunterseeker this ain't mexico my dude, florence adx guards cant be bribed, prisoners cant talk to guards and guards dont talk to prisoners.
Great Video. Well Done
How does one get to work here? I applied for BOP but this was not on the list of prisons I could request
The five words no man has ever said excitedly except Simon, "let's get back to prison!"
Perhaps a very enthusiastic guard on a lunch break?
You'd be surprised. There are plenty of criminals who can't cope with life outside. It's called being institutionalized
That's six words
This place I worked at did uniform patches for the guard units at Florence. My personal favorite had a skull in smashed riot gear, with crossed shotguns, and the motto underneath, saying: "ORDER WILL BE MAINTAINED!"
Simon Whistler mentions that the Florence Supermax has never been filled to capacity. Interestingly enough, Alcatraz was never filled to its capacity either.
The faxt u advertising in a 15 min vid blowin mines rn🤧
Alcatraz: I'm the worst prison in the US Florence: hold my 🍺
Parchman is the new worst prison in the country
Old stolen comment
What about Gitmo?
@@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102 respect ✊
But Alcatraz was closed, duh
I played golf right next to ADX earlier this year, there is a golf course literally right next to it, but you can't see the ADX. Florence is beautiful.
when I was very young( 10-12) I was sent to a mental health facility for an eating disorder and depression. this place would tie up misbehaving girls, take away basic necessities, as well as confined us. there was this specific room made of concrete with a large heavy door that locked from the outside. nothing was in this tiny room except a gym mat on the floor. it was dark with no windows or lights and you could be left in there for days at a time. if I as a child could tolerate this isolation after having done nothing wrong, I have no clue why people would care so much if a maximum security prison decided to implement solitary confinement to keep both the prisoners and the guards safe. its honestly frustrating.
Love this stuff good video
imagine being nicknamed the underwear bomber i-
he looks like the underwear sniffer
Sounds like brown thunder
He is also known as the Christmas Bomber, for trying to detonate plastic explosives on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day 2009. They were of course hidden in his underwear.
@@jaz1551 we all know where and why and how so really no need to lay out the details. A simple “he is also known as the Christmas bomber” was enough.
@@waynewayne9693 i didn't know he was why he was called the underwear bomber.
Everyone in indiana that heard him say terre haute just cringed.
It’s said like Tera ho?
@@mrmoncherz2574 tera hote. Like hotel without the L
Just like Mexicans when he said "Al cHAAApeu"
Lmao deadass
Technically it’s french so you guys are pronouncing it wrong. Haha but since you people been pronouncing it that way for a long time... who is right? Hahaha
ADX Florence is better than most of the inmates deserve. In their cases, an open facility with no guards, no bars and no escape would be cruel.
Who's here after better call Saul?
"Keeping someone in solitary confinement for 15 days or more is considered torture." Me: I go months trying to do that on purpose?
I can appreciate the joke... But it's not quite the same when you can freely access any site to interact with people and can leave any time you want, with more space to walk around, and things to stimulate yourself with...
Even introverts get lonely?
These types of comments honestly get less funny the more I see them
@@js66613 very true. I’m a massive introvert, and much prefer to stay inside by myself at all times. When I went to prison though, segregation was hell. You literally start going crazy without any mental stimulation at all. Doesn’t take long either. After a week you will notice it.
@@stephenkling9976 introvert and loner aren't the same thing